The former police chief who hired two Fullerton police officers now facing trial on charges that they beat a homeless man to death called Thursday for patience to "let the wheels of justice turn."

Officer Manuel Ramos and Cpl. Jay Cicinelli were ordered Wednesday to stand trial for their roles in the death of Kelly Thomas. An attorney for Ramos indicated almost immediately that he would challenge that ruling.

Legal experts said this week's preliminary hearing – with its graphic recordings of Thomas' fatal encounter with half a dozen officers – provided an early glimpse into how both sides will try to prove their case at trial. But they cautioned that getting a case through a preliminary hearing is simple compared to convincing a jury to convict.

Fullerton Councilman Pat McKinley said he expects much more evidence to come out at trial than the grainy surveillance video that was the centerpiece of this week's hearings. McKinley was Fullerton's police chief for 16 years and hired both Ramos and Cicinelli.

"Nothing is the same at the end as it is in the beginning," said McKinley, reached by phone while on vacation. "You have to have patience and let the wheels of justice turn."

His colleague on the council, Bruce Whitaker, described the video of Thomas' last conscious moments as "very disturbing, heart-wrenching and inhumane." He issued an open letter to Fullerton residents, quoting District Attorney Tony Rackauckas: "The biggest shame about this case is that it shouldn't have happened."

This week's preliminary hearing was an early test of the evidence, a low hurdle for prosecutors to clear on their way to taking the case to trial. It also gave both prosecutors and defense attorneys a chance to try out their arguments and see how they resonate with a judge and the public.

Prosecutors, for example, focused not just on the raw video, but also on the officer's own words, captured on recorders they were wearing during the encounter. Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said that adds a layer that was missing in the case of another high-profile beating, that of Rodney King. "Hearing it is really gut-wrenching," she said.

On the other side of the courtroom, defense attorneys argued that Thomas struggled as the officers tried to subdue him, and they used appropriate force to stop him. They also sought to raise doubt about what exactly killed Thomas, at one point asking a trauma surgeon to pinpoint a moment in the video when the officers applied fatal pressure. That line of argument may be an attempt to neutralize the emotional impact of the video, Levenson said.

The preliminary hearing "is literally a dry run, a bit of a rehearsal, of what we'll see at trial," Levenson said.

But, for the prosecutors, the standards were far lower than they will be when they stand before a jury to make their case against Ramos and Cicinelli. To get through the preliminary hearing, they only had to show that they had probable cause to prosecute the two officers. A jury will demand proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict them.

This week's preliminary hearing was a filter to make sure the District Attorney's Office has enough evidence to take the case to trial, said George Dery, a professor of criminal justice at Cal State Fullerton. "It still is nothing compared to a trial," he said. "It doesn't really give you any predictive value for the actual case."

Ramos, 38, has been charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Cicinelli, 40, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and excessive use of force. It could be several months before jurors are summoned for a trial, as defense attorneys pursue their appeals of the preliminary hearing.

On Thursday, flowers and heart-shaped balloons decorated the site where Ramos, casually swinging a baton, stopped Thomas on the evening of July 5. Police were investigating a report of someone trying to get into cars; prosecutors say Ramos escalated a routine stop into a fatal beating when he threatened to "F--- you up" if Thomas didn't cooperate with his orders.

A metal vase strapped to a street pole held handwritten messages. "What really makes me sad however, is that a man's life was taken in order for us as a community to unite," one read. Another said, "If the police does things like this, how can civilians trust and rely on police?"

Wednesday afternoon, a Fullerton police car with two officers cruises past the memorial for Kelly Thomas at the Fullerton Transportation Center. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ron Thomas, Kelly Thomas' father, right, speaks to the media following a preliminary hearing in which a judge agreed to uphold charges against two Fullerton police officers charged with the death of his son. JOSHUA SUDOCK, JOSHUA SUDOCK
Fullerton police officer Manuel Ramos listens as Judge Walter Schwarm explains why he believes Ramos and Fullerton police officer Jay Cicinelli should stand trial for the death of Kelly Thomas. POOL, JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Thursday morning, the memorial for Kelly Thomas, at the Fullerton Transportation Center, was redecorated after an Orange County judge ordered two Fullerton police officers to stand trial on homicide and other charges in their roles in the July 5 death of the schizophrenic homeless man. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Judge Walter Schwarm explains why he believes the two Fullerton police officers charged with the death of Kelly Thomas should stand trial. POOL, JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A few hand-writted letters were left at the Kelly Thomas memorial in Fullerton after a judge ordered two Fullerton police officers to stand trial on homicide and other charges in their roles of Thomas' death. This letter addressed to Thomas reads, " Although you died a horrible tragic death, you will always be remembered. Your death has brought the community closer & opened a lot of people's eyes to the wrongdoing of police officers. You will forever be remembered!" BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ron Thomas, Kelly Thomas' father, speaks to the media following a preliminary hearing in which a judge agreed to uphold charges against two Fullerton police officers charged with the death of his son. POOL, JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Fullerton police officer Jay Cicinelli listens as Judge Walter Schwarm explains why he believes all charges should stand and why he believes Cicinelli and Fullerton police officer Manuel Ramos should stand trial for the death of Kelly Thomas. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A spray-painted stencil of Kelly Thomas' profile was added to the area where he was fatally injured at the Fullerton Transportation Center. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
In Fullerton, at the scene of the confrontation that resulted in Kelly Thomas' death, there is a memorial to Thomas. Before a verdict was reached on Wednesday afternoon it was a quiet scene. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The memorial for Kelly Thomas, at the Fullerton Transportation Center, was redecorated after an Orange County judge ordered two Fullerton police officers to stand trial on homicide and other charges in their roles in the July 5 death of the schizophrenic homeless man. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Most of the chalk writing has been washed away from the Kelly Thomas memorial at the Fullerton Transportation Center but some new additions represent mourners sentiments. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A large stuffed gorilla adorns the memorial for Kelly Thomas. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A few hand-written letters were left at the Kelly Thomas memorial in Fullerton after a judge ordered two Fullerton police officers to stand trial on homicide and other charges for their roles in Thomas' death. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Superior Court Judge Walter Schwarm said sufficient evidence was presented during a three-day preliminary hearing, including a 33-minute black-and-white video, to compel a jury trial for officer Manuel Anthony Ramos, charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kelly Thomas, 37. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Thursday at the Fullerton Transportation center, fresh flowers were placed around the base of a memorial for Kelly Thomas. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Wednesday, as the pretrial hearing in downtown Santa Ana continued to determine if two Fullerton police officers would face charges in the death of Kelly Thomas, all was quiet at the memorial for Thomas in Fullerton. In the bus lane near Thomas' memorial, at the Fullerton Transportation Center, a spray-painted question mark remains. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
On Wednesday, a hat, similar to the one seen in a photo often published of Kelly Thomas, was taped to the light pole in the Fullerton Transportation Center. The pole has been the center of a memorial for Thomas after the community reacted to his death. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A few hand-written letters were left at the Kelly Thomas memorial in Fullerton after a judge ordered two Fullerton police officers to stand trial on homicide and other charges for their roles in Thomas' death. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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